Help with 5-1-1 Soil Mix

Donnie_Mac(Ks 6A)January 24, 2013

I have searched the forms and not found this answered.

I am making the 5-1-1 mix for containers.

In each bag of pine bark while laying flat there is what looks like an inch or more of dust. While screening I have determined that this dust is small particles smaller than one eighth and larger than one sixteenth of an inch.

Volume wise there is as much of these small particles as of the larger pieces of bark. Does this go into the mix also? All of it or part of it?

Yes, it all goes into the 5:1:1 mix; but if there are a significant volume of fines, it might be appropriate to eliminate the peat and perhaps increase the amount of perlite. Can you post a picture of the bark so we can sort of get an idea of what you're working with?